The Red Circle

Forget the Lips, George C. Scott puts in one of his trademark great performances in a tale of a child murdered for money and power. He plays John Russell, a composer who rents out a huge mansion to write his first symphony after a huge personal tragedy.

It’s in the house that a spirit attempts to contact him. Because he is George C. Scott (The Man Who Was Patton and a God of Men), he is able to interpret an overflowing bathtub and a ball rolling down the stairs as sure signs of foul play – leading up to his self imposed mission to discover the truth about the secrets that the house keeps. This will bring him through great personal strife all the way to Washington DC.

It’s not so much the story itself that makes The Changeling such a brilliant film, although it certainly helps. From the out of nowhere shock of the first three minutes, up to the chillingly realized hauntings that Scott has to endure, this is a film that stick around with you.  For those of you who have seen the genius The Ruling Class, this statement is a little redundant – Peter Medak directs this film with a complete master’s skill. He is not attempting to scare the audience, he is simply aiming to burrow his images directly into their brains.

It may not be the most effective haunted house movie ever made – that one is coming up real soon, but it makes an undeniable case for the power of abstract images have over a viewer. This is a film that should be remembered. And should be the only movie that enters your head when the name The Changeling is mentioned.

Clint Eastwood done fucked up.

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